are there three decent gun magazines that aren't all just advertisements (sometimes disguised as reviews?)

I'd love to subscribe to one good gun mag, and one good technology mag

Shooting Times can be quite good, and American Rifleman still has content in between the pages of political commentary. I am letting my Guns and Ammo subscription expire though for the reasons you state.

I'm not altogether on anyone's side, because no one is altogether on my side.

Srsly though, the kind of problem paulWTAMU speaks of is annoyingly widespread across multiple different industries. I like magazines too, but it's difficult to find one in any given subject that's actually worth reading. Without a recommendation from someone knowledgeable it's a crapshoot.

Sig Sauer SP2022 chambered in .40 with a Streamlight TLR-1. This is a home defense firearm and a late night hiking buddy in Anchorage (I walk a lot at night to get away from crowds...and because I work rotating shifts including midnights).

Do you carry it with the light attached? My wife is looking for a holster with room for a light and we're having trouble finding something she likes.

If there is one thing a remote-controlled, silent and unseeable surveillance/killing machine needs, it’s more whimsy. -- Marcus

I went back and forth between this one and the 45. It was especially hard because I live in CA and 10 rounds is the limit. The 9 won out because of the price of the ammuntion for a 9mm is cheaper than the 45. Pictures will have to wait till I post from home.

With ammo costs skyrocketing and availability plummetting, I'm glad I cast lead bullets for .45, 9mm, and .38/.357.

I will probably start casting for some of my rifles as well.

You starting with raw lead or with wheel balancing weights (which have some antimony in them)? Dad was into this in the '70s and he's got cupcake-pan ingots of melted wheel weights in boxes in the cellar.

If the Earth were flat, cats would have pushed everything off of it by now.

I use straight wheel weights. I shoot full-bore .357 magnum loads with these without any issues. For the life of me I can't get 9mm to shoot in either of my Walthers without leading, it's got to be the barrels in those guns because it shoots fine in my S&W 909.

I'm not altogether on anyone's side, because no one is altogether on my side.

I use straight wheel weights. I shoot full-bore .357 magnum loads with these without any issues. For the life of me I can't get 9mm to shoot in either of my Walthers without leading, it's got to be the barrels in those guns because it shoots fine in my S&W 909.

Dad reloaded .38 Spl with cast wadcutters as his carry gun during the VT State Fair. He & I ran the treasurer's office and there was a lot more cash sitting there than anyone expected, so he carried (why not his M1911??). Office even had an old-style massive oak counter with the wrought-iron bars between them and us that probably came from some bank that went Tango Uniform back in the 1930's.

Mom never got over the fact that the "ingot mold" was her best muffin pan. The resulting "muffins" were used as ballast and for family jokes through today.

If the Earth were flat, cats would have pushed everything off of it by now.

Heh. I buy most of lead on eBay, of all places, because it's easier than refining the wheel weights myself and it's still pretty cheap, but lots of the lead I get is in "muffin" form.

Dad & I must have melted off several hundred pounds of wheel weights, all in a battered saucepan sitting in an old charcoal-fired hibachi grill. Don't even want to think of the fumes I shouldn't have breathed. My job was to fish around in the melt pot for the steel rim clips. There's still a piece of 2x8 lumber in my parents' garage with a 6-spot muffin pan pattern burned into it as that is what the "ingot pan" rested on when we poured off the melt.

EDIT: As for carry, I get it. His .38 Spl was (is) a real snub-nose, so it had to be light. The M1911 was not only too heavy but probably had serious "punch-through" issues (he only ever loaded Ball for it) that a .38 Spl cast-lead wadcutter would never have.

If the Earth were flat, cats would have pushed everything off of it by now.

This might not be the thread for it but looking for some recommendations / thoughts on the guns below. Preferrably thoughts with experience to back up the thoughts. I'm planning to buy a handgun in 9mm soon.. possibly before I have a chance to make it to the range to shoot them ( due to busy work schedule /no time before potential mag ban).

Glock. Ubiquitous, reliable. Ugly. Shoots well. Polygonal barrel, which limits you to jacketed ammo, but is easier to clean. I tend to shoot low with Glocks due to the grip frame.

XD. Shot one once. Nice pistol, comes with XD gear which is decent. A bit more expensive than the Glock.

Beretta. Eh. It's okay. I don't care for the aluminum frame/balance of the Beretta, and the grip is wide.

One gun I think you should add to your list is the Smith and Wesson M&P. I like it better than the Glock or XD. Fantastic ergonomics, good trigger, just a great feeling gun. Plus, it's American made. Contrary to popular belief, the Springfield XDs are Croatian, not American.

I'm not altogether on anyone's side, because no one is altogether on my side.

With ammo costs skyrocketing and availability plummetting, I'm glad I cast lead bullets for .45, 9mm, and .38/.357.

I will probably start casting for some of my rifles as well.

I was on the Impact Guns site a few days ago just poking around. After a half hour, I was unable to find one, single item that was in stock. Everything I looked at, from guns to parts, was either out of stock or on backorder. Their warehouse must have nothing but dust in it. I have not looked at ammo in a while. Is it also a victim of panic buying?

@DannyYou can also add Ruger's 9mm semi autos too. I don't understand the no time thing. As a first time shooter gettin' 2 hours at the nearest gun range should be done before anything else. I live in California were we don't like guns and you can not drive 30minutes in any direction without running into a gun range. All of the pistols you mentioned are usually for rent. You need to get to a gun range and try them out. I can second the S&W M&P 9mm semi auto. Comparing it to a Glock 17, it feels better to hold and has more rounded corners, and the stock sites are great. You can see them in that fuzzy picture I posted. In Glocks favor parts for it are available at Bass Pro right off the shelf. Getting 33 round aftermarket magazines is possible for Glocks (not in CA), but I am not sure if that is even made for a S&W M&P.

As far as Home defense is concerned, after shooting a 100 rounds, I see a shotgun purchase in my near future.

This might not be the thread for it but looking for some recommendations / thoughts on the guns below. Preferrably thoughts with experience to back up the thoughts.

FNH - No experience.

Glock - Glocks are like opera. You usually love 'em or hate 'em. Cheap, reliable, indestructible, ubiquitous. The 19 is a better carry weapon unless you're a big guy. With a little practice, you will learn to love the trigger.

XD - I've owned two of these. The first one was before Springfield bought the import rights and it was known as the HS2000. It's like a Glock, but with features. The trigger is essentially a heavy single-action all the time, which is always fun. It's about like a Glock trigger but... not.

Beretta - As a polymer pistol fan, the 92 always seems heavy to me. It functions well, but the barrel seems to be higher in my grip than I'm used to. Accuracy is kind of meh for the first round due to the long pull on the double/single trigger. I prefer consistent pulls across the entire string, but if that's not important for you then rock on. The safety doubles as a decocking lever, IIRC. Of course, you can always carry it cocked, but that makes for a really light trigger pull.

Sig - Sig's are great weapons, but heavy. I'm not really a fan of the separate decocking lever, preferring the Beretta's system. Honestly, I prefer the system on the Walther P99, but that's not on your list (but it should be!). Sig's don't recoil much due to the weight. They're also kind of expensive. They do have a great reputation for reliability. Like the Beretta, the trigger is a double/single design. It has been many years since I have shot a Sig, but my memory puts them as "like the Beretta, but more so". More weight, more height on the slide, more accuracy out the loud end, more money out of the wallet.

Honestly, you have some great choices up there. It's hard to go wrong these days. As others have posted, I would look at the Smith & Wesson M&P series as well. I haven't shot one yet but several people I know love 'em to death.

If there is one thing a remote-controlled, silent and unseeable surveillance/killing machine needs, it’s more whimsy. -- Marcus